The Grove of Skokie
Elder abuse is a serious crime and a tragedy. No person deserves to be mistreated, especially those who are the most vulnerable. Unfortunately, this is a very common but misunderstood type of abuse. While the media is quite outspoken about child abuse, elder abuse remains a largely silent issue despite the fact that more than two million cases of elder abuse are reported each year.
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Understanding How to Spot Abuse
One of the biggest misconceptions about elder abuse is who the abusers are. You may be shocked to learn that studies show that in 60% of abuse cases, the abusers are family members. Often the abuse stems from caregiver burnout; in this case, relatives become too overwhelmed with an elderly loved one’s care and begin taking out their frustrations on them or neglecting their needs.
This may bolster your confidence in nursing home care. Because most nursing homes are for-profit and operate under some degree of regulation, they have more incentive to provide proper care to their elderly residents. They are also staffed by trained professionals who are better prepared to meet all of their charges’ needs. Unfortunately, nursing homes are not immune to the danger of elder abuse. More than 40% of nursing home residents have reported being victimized, and the number could easily be higher since abuse is so underreported.
The issue of nursing home abuse again originates with overwhelmed caregivers. While registered nurses are well trained to handle the demands of elder care, many nursing homes employ a large number of cheaper, less skilled CNAs or other staff who may not be prepared for the rigors of long shifts caring for aging and disabled adults. Another issue is general understaffing. Even the most professional caregiver will become frustrated and burned out if overworked. Finally, some nursing homes do not take proper care during the hiring process and may employ someone with a violent streak who thinks nothing of preying on vulnerable individuals.
There are both pros and cons to nursing home services. Most facilities do a good job of caring for residents with few issues. Others struggle due to poor staffing practices and mismanagement. Until nursing homes choose to operate more ethically or are forced to by stricter government regulation, it is up to individuals and families to do their best to find facilities where residents are treated with compassion and dignity. While this may seem like a matter of luck, there are things you can do to find a safe nursing home and reduce the risk of nursing home abuse.
Reducing Nursing Home Abuse
While nursing home abuse will never completely stop while there are still greedy owners and unscrupulous perpetrators, residents and their families can take steps to protect themselves from the dangers of nursing home abuse and neglect. These measures begin even before you or a loved one moves into assisted living because the facility you choose has much to do with the chances of being abused.
At Levin & Perconti, we have seen this firsthand. Our work with nursing home abuse victims has revealed that abuse usually occurs in poor performing facilities. Therefore you have better chances of a good experience by using a higher performing nursing home. But how can you tell which nursing homes are bad and which are good before moving in?
We find that medicare.org is an excellent resource for sifting through your nursing home options. Every year, Medicare gives US nursing homes ratings that indicate how well they’re doing in areas such as health inspections, staffing, and other quality measures. When you’re looking for a reputable nursing home, look up these ratings for the homes in your area and pick from those with the highest ratings.
You can also read the latest health inspection reports for prospective nursing homes on medicare.org. The citations listed on these reports can tell you how many and how serious of infractions have been found at a facility recently and further inform your decision.
Of course, even the most highly rated nursing home can make mistakes or have isolated cases of abuse. That’s why it is vital to be on guard even if you or your loved one are in an excellent nursing home. One of the most important things you can do is stay in touch with friends and family. Isolated nursing home residents are more likely to be victimized because no one is checking on them. Having frequent visitors can help protect a nursing home resident from abusive staff.
Another thing you can do is be prepared to stop abuse in its tracks. That means learning to recognize abuse and knowing how to report it. Abuse in nursing homes is any action, intentional or unintentional, that causes a resident to suffer physical, emotional, or psychological harm. It includes staff purposely hurting a resident or causing harm by failing to meet their needs. If any such thing happens to you or your relative in assisted living, report it immediately before it becomes a pattern.
If you experience or witness potential abuse, you can say something to the perpetrator in the moment to let them know you recognize what they are doing is wrong. It’s okay if you are too scared to though. In either case, you should definitely report the behavior to a staff supervisor or the facility administrator. They have the authority and obligation to investigate possible abuse and take necessary measures to prevent further incidents. Every nursing home is required to have a grievance procedure that residents and their representatives should have copies of. You can also refer to this procedure to help you work with the nursing home to address abuse.
Again, elder abuse in nursing homes is less common than at home with family, but it still happens all too frequently. Levin & Perconti has personally seen the effects of this tragedy as we have handled hundreds of nursing home abuse cases, such as those involving
- Unauthorized Physical and/or Chemical Restraint Use
- Physical Abuse
- Alzheimer’s and Dementia Patients
- Falls, Improper Transfers, Drops by Staff
- Medication Errors
- Wandering and Elopement from facilities
- Pressure Sores
- Clogged Breathing Tubes
- Sepsis and Other Infections
- Burns
- Malnutrition and/or Dehydration
- Physical or Sexual Assault or Abuse
That’s why we encourage families and individuals to do their research into what kind of nursing home they’re choosing. To further help you find a safe nursing home, Levin & Perconti shares information from medicare.org on our own website so you have another reference to use in your search for the perfect Illinois nursing home.
About The Grove of Skokie
9000 Lavergne Ave.
Skokie, IL 60077
The Grove of Skokie is a medical residence facility with 149 beds Medicare-certified beds. The location serves residents who need post-hospital rehabilitation, residential skilled nursing care, and behavioral health treatment. Services include pain management and strengthening, orthopedic and neurological rehab, and physical, occupational, speech, and respiratory therapies.
Medicare assigns The Grove of Skokie an Average overall rating from combined Below Average ratings for health inspections and staffing and a Much Above Average quality measures rating. The facility received 12 health citations, which can be viewed on medicare.org. Below is a sample of these citations.
5/3/2018 Failure to protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody. The facility failed to identify and put interventions in place to protect a resident with verbally aggressive behaviors who was at risk for abuse. The resident was observed in his room yelling obscenities and complaining about the noise in the facility. Staff stated he always behaved this way. Later he complained that staff don’t let him sleep because they do blood draws at night and that a neighboring resident is always yelling and trying to fight people. The neighbor had threatened to fight the resident on one occasion. A review of the resident’s care plan did not address interventions for his risk of abuse and staff were not sure why.
5/3/2018 Failure to assist a resident in gaining access to vision and hearing services. The facility failed to assist a resident in maintaining his vision by not scheduling an optometrist appointment and failing to follow the vision care plan of administering prescribed eye medication. The resident stated that he had asked for brighter lights in his room because his vision was so poor. He had also asked to see an eye doctor because his sight was worsening and his glasses got lost. Staff did not know why he had not seen a doctor since admission five months prior. Staff also failed to reorder prescription eye drops for the resident.
1/22/2019 Failure to reasonably accommodate the needs and preferences of each resident. A complaint was made that the facility failed to put a call light within reach of a resident. The call light was observed out of reach beneath the resident’s bed.
Levin & Perconti Fighting for Victims’ Rights
Sometimes stopping abuse at a nursing home isn’t enough. If you or a family member have suffered real harm or death at the hands of an Illinois nursing home, you may deserve some compensation. Levin & Perconti have won millions of dollars for nursing home abuse victims, and we can win for you too. We help build your case and guide you through every step of the way to see that you receive what you’re entitled to. If you’re ready to start fighting for your rights, contact us online or call Levin & Perconti at 888-424-5757 any time for a free consultation and the help you need.
Disclaimer: The above health inspection findings are taken from public records kept and published by Medicare and the state of Illinois and are not complete. Levin & Perconti cannot confirm that this page’s content includes the latest information available. Any corrections or additions made to these public records after publication of this page will not be found here. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.il.gov or medicare.gov. This page is a legal advertisement and informational resource for visitors and is not endorsed by the named facility or any government agency. Levin & Perconti does not have any affiliation with the named facility.
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Not only were they so professional but also so caring and thoughtful. It was very difficult going over the facts in our mother's case but they were so compassionate and understanding and allowed us to be with them every step of the way. We were able to sit in on the depositions and we were really able to see how hard they worked on our behalf.
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on behalf of an 85-year-old woman injured in a nursing home when her medications were mismanaged.
VERDICT
for the estate of a 67-year-old man who died from complications related to a fall
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for a 59-year-old resident who developed multiple painful and infected bedsores which took four years to heal.
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